Field note 02
Puffins
This page is a summary. The guide knows more, such as nesting, size and lifespan: ask at /ask/how-do-you-recognise-a-puffin, or write any question as a path after /ask/.
Atlantic puffin · Atlantijas tuklītis
Fratercula arctica
- Found in Latvia?
- No regular presence
- Habitat
- North Atlantic islands and coastal cliffs; open sea outside the breeding season.
- Diet
- Small fish, including sand eels and sprats.
Appearance and behaviour
The Atlantic puffin is a small auk with black upperparts, white underparts, and a deep, brightly coloured bill during the breeding season. It nests in burrows or rock crevices on islands and coastal cliffs. Outside the breeding season, it spends much of its time at sea.
Puffins pursue fish underwater, using their wings for propulsion. They can hold several fish crosswise in the bill while continuing to catch more. Their short wings also allow flight, though the rapid wingbeats make the effort fairly apparent. The bill becomes less colourful outside the breeding season.
Occurrence in Latvia
Not a regular Latvian bird and not a Latvian breeder. Its breeding range is centred on the North Atlantic; the Latvian Baltic coast is not a reliable place to look for one.
Further reading: BTO’s puffin guide.
Ask API: GET /ask/<question-slug>, for example /ask/what-do-puffins-eat-and-how-do-they-catch-fish.